Member of ‘Fit For Work Coalition’ Brought in to Scrutinise Atos

The DWP have brought in a member of the ‘Fit For Work Coalition’ and the neo-liberal think tank the World Economic Forum, to carry out a review of the brutal assessments for sickness and disability benefits.

Dr Paul Litchfield will replace Professor Malcolm Harrington who was sidelined after being mildly critical of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), the relentless health and disability tests which have driven some claimants to suicide.

As well as his membership of the sinister sounding World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council – who promote more capitalism to deal with the problems created by capitalism – Litchfield is Chief Medical Officer at BT. He is also a member of the aptly named Fit For Work Coalition which: “brings together healthcare professionals, policy makers, employers, and patients to improve the productivity of Britain’s workforce, by empowering and supporting people, including those with long-term conditions, to remain in or return to work and be economically active.”

Litchfield has long been working behind the scenes with both the current and the last government in a bid to dismantle the welfare state. Way back in 2006 he was a member of the Mental Health Technical Group who were involved in proposals to ‘transform’ the old Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) – the previous assessment regime for Incapacity Benefit.

He will now prepare a review on the shambolic Work Capability Assessment which is seeing more seriously unwell or disabled people than ever successfully appealing Fit for Work decisions.

Litchfield has already given an early indication of his true role at the DWP , which appears to be that of a glorified spin doctor. He claims in a statement on the DWP website that: “Any assessment not only has to be fair but must be perceived as being fair.”

He’s not there to change the assessments, but to change people’s minds about the assessments.

114 responses to “Member of ‘Fit For Work Coalition’ Brought in to Scrutinise Atos”

@johnny void are they going to stop the atos disablity assessment course run by atos? The one where to work as assessor you need diploma providing you have successful on an approved course? In this case the atos course

Anyone on this disability assessment course can bring their own stethascopes ..now I feel comforted NOT.
They use test subjects with invented conditions to see if the would be assessor can spot them . Go figure that out…

I was utterly disgusted because at my working links induction there were 2 people unfit to be there. There was a young lad too terrified to even speak and a middle aged man in serious pain with his legs. It makes me sick. It is so wrong.

Judging by the titles of his work to date, he’s already well-versed in the reverse-psychology of Tory propaganda language (ie, “we won’t condemn the disabled to a life on benefits” real meaning: “we condemn the disabled to be penniless for the rest of their miserable existences”). When he says: “Any assessment not only has to be fair but must be perceived as being fair.” you just KNOW it means more penalties for the disabled and more whitewash language.

The only way I can see to fight this drip-drip of propaganda is to challenge it wherever we find it and together be a bloody loud voice.

@johnny void. I think litchfield is connected to FOM. The faculty of occupational medicine. The organisation that awards the diplomas in disability assessment providing that you have gone through approved course . An approved course run by atos. In which case you got conflict of interest issue.

Nice article JV, just one point, capitalism died a long time ago, we have been in the grip of corporatism now for so long people cannot see the difference. Everything is driven by Corporations and their greed.

Corporatism does not mean corporate rule, read the link I posted. the word has been misused by conspiracy theorists which has led to some confusion. The invisible hand however is very much alive. That’s what all of this is about, the erosion of social protection in favour of a privatised freemarket in health care/welfare. This is what neo-liberal capitalism looks like.

corporate (adj.) early 15c., “united in one body,” from Latin corporatus, pp. of corporare “form into a body,” from corpus (genitive corporis) “body” (see corporeal).

If Mussolini said that then he would have meant corporate as in separate and divided bodies which make up the state/society/industry such as police, energy, education etc all having a role in the national interest – and not as such being made up of competing class interests in themselves. That’s what he did, and that’s what corporatism means. It’s world away from the privatised, market led solutions that are being proposed now.

But I am not convinced that, ” market led solutions” is what is happening.
There is too much government and corporate collaboration happening.
The concept of markets driving wages and prices is dead.

Giving companies money so they can have free labour is nothing to do with neo-liberalism which AFAIK is supposed to eschew state intervention.
Cartels and oligopolies have existed for a while but they increasingly appear to be “persuading” governments on economic policy and decision making, the “Dash For Gas” is a prime example of private enterprise persuading policy rather than anything to do with markets.

The invisible hand is now merely the one that hands over cash to party funds and expects something in return.

@Johnny Void.I still think that litchfields posotion is untenable..given that he is connected to UNUM and ATOS and that he is ex director of FOM..
btw NATIONWiDE HAVE CAVED IN ,.I KEEP POSTING THIS BUT NO ONE NOTICES..

yes but the state being co-opted to act in the interests of capitalism is the opposite of capitalism being co-opted to act in the interests of the state

workfare meets neo-liberal aims – to further stigmatise claimants, make unemployment more unpleasant, undermine workplace organisation and wages, make privatised social security more attractive etc and also happens to make capitalists money by providing them with free labour

its win win for business and that the government is prepared to hand this over shows just how effective the neo-liberal ideology has become

I understand that and the point is taken.
However I am still not convinced that there is a or has been a free market economy. Certainly not in the classic sense. Whether the state of affairs yet constitutes a Corporatism, well you have me doubting. But I am thinking of Corporatism in a different sense than the usual definitions.

I just can’t help feeling that we are in or about to enter a point of Corporatism that is not quite as you describe, but that does start getting to the edge of conspiracy theory.

Need to do more reading around the subject which is going to be slow going.

You are right, this is a spin doctor, he’s not been brought in to help but to try and change opinions on what already is the case. @JaneCrow I think that you are right all of this probably just means that they are going to provide more hoops which those who are severely disabled will be forced to jump through, in order to get the support they deserve.

did you know DWP have FORBIDDEN doctor’s to give letters to patients trying to appeal on wrong decisions now !!! How the hell am I supposed to overturn their decision to put me in the work focused group instead of supported group if they wont take proof from my records .They have not asked for any info from them at all yet say they have enough medical evidence to move me .!SURELY THIS IS AGAINST OUR HUMAN RIGHTS !!

Even though Harrison was only mildy critical of some aspects of the WCA that was still too much for the tories to stomach. No coincidence Harrington’s “resignation” (sacking)was announced the same day he appeared in the Panorama programme criticising it.

Of course this guy will be a spin doctor. The first spin will be “The test is better because the number of appeals have dropped to almost zero” He just won’t bother to mention that from April, they have made it impossible to appeal, you will have to have a “reconsideration” first, which can take the DWP as long as they fancy and during which time you won’t get even the assessment rate. No money to live on for as long as they want to keep it that way. Isn’t “timely” access to justice part of the UN Convention on Human Rights. Justice delayed, is justice denied.

Where do they keep finding all these people willing to sell their souls to the devil? Have they got a club or something?

Career history: Dr Paul Litchfield
• Qualified in medicine on 7 July 1977.
• After a brief spell in the NHS, he joined the Royal Navy in 1978 and specialised in occupational medicine.
• After originally signing up for five years, Litchfield left the navy in 1994.
• In 1994 he joined the Civil Service Occupational Health Service, an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, as medical director.
• Joined BMI Health Services in 1996.
• From BMI, Litchfield joined BT on 1 January 2001.
• He is most proud of getting mental health on to the workplace agenda and promoting a more sophisticated view of health in general, while helping to minimise some of the stigma around mental health.
• Litchfield is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine. In 2007, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to occupational health.

LITCHFEILD CANNOT SCRUTINIZE ATOS because he is a FOM member who have close links to Atos origin

It’s the same old people that gets the jobs are they inbreeding? As a unemployed person with common sense how come this wasn’t in the universal job match section? What is the point in looking for jobs on that crap site when the Government does not even use it!
Christ how many more are they going to find to sell their soul……Oh wait they don’t have one!

This sneaky advertisement for UNUM, which to the Guardian’s eternal shame they printed in 2011, took the form of a caring sharing sort of article about workplace stress and ill-health. Dr Paul Litchfield is quoted in it:
“Ill health at work is set to be something more companies have to plan for,” says Paul Litchfield, BT’s chief medical officer and head of health. “Sickness is now 60% lifestyle- rather than contagion-caused, and the removal of the default retirement age will mean more people will get ill while of working age”.
Calling this man an independent scrutineer of the WCA is like calling a wolf a suitable guard for a flock of lambs.

Disability and Chronic illness is NOT a Psychological problem, it is debilitating and painful. Now, thanks to the above triumvirate, we can add being socially isolated, seen as lazy, hateful scroungers.

But, not to worry, Dr Litchfield thinks its all down to our perception of the WCA…..yeah, right.

The Guardian is asking for your stories on the language of welfare reform, scroungers etc and what can be done about it. A chance to say it, before this guy gets in and tells them everything is just fine.

Yet another ConDem’s overly rich friends to take the helm? why can’t this Govt’ment pick someone that wont be brain washed & jump and say yes to IDS & 3 bags full!!!! and if he works with BT then we are in for a worse ride:

@JOHNNY VOID ok mate i take on board what you say but, IMHO i still think that FOM is far too closely linked to ATOS bearing in mind that FOM are a ‘charity’ and its my bet that Atos have been donating to them..they make much of the fact they are ‘FOM APPROVED’ too…
also after atos site has added this..

“He then went on to sit on the Technical and Consultative Working Group involved in the creation of the Work Capability Assessment, along with Angela Graham of Atos Origin and Sue Godby of Unum.”

@SHIPPERS UNBOUND – I JUST READ SOME OF THIS FECKERS TWEETS..FECK ME WHAT AN ARSE…”LOOK WHERE I AM TODAY THROUGH HARD WORK” Yeah fucking nowhere you slimey fuck arse licking..corporate wankers sponging off the state..

@guy fawkes do you rememeber on previous blogs i was posting something about FOM (faculty of occupational medicine) you rememeber?
well all this is related to that guy….which could prove a conflict of interests here…

“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,”
Or so my mum says. IDS thinks you can make a platinum satchel out of a sweetcorn kernel salvaged from a turd.
I can’t see how anybody can possibly increase the profile of fairness on an inherently unfair process. Perhaps IDS’s real plan is to spend the entire department’s budget on crap so that there’s literally nothing to pay any benefits with.

@johhny void..i see someone else put in FOI request about gunyon citing conflict of interest..him also being a FOM bod as well as capita..and what with litchfield being ex director of FOM and connected to unum as well..

I explained to a friend this evening that in recent weeks, at least what we know of which may be many more, 2 people died of starvation in this country due to the DWP removing benefits; one of a disabled person, another on JSA.

She was totally shocked. When I told her that thousands died this last year she asked why weren’t people out on the streets protesting about it. I told her that the media is bought and paid for, and so ordinary people just don’t get to know these things.

I’ve told her to tell everyone she knows. I’m doing this also; repair people, internet grocery shopping people, anyone I come into contact with even in my reduced state (since the local authority cut my funding for transport and clawed all of my DLA for care, even the mobility element), which means that I can’t socialize or get out much now.

People who are ill can’t do a lot; they can’t go on protests or do any of that stuff, but what we can do is tell everyone we meet about it. I know we talk here, but the people who need to hear this don’t read these blogs, at least not many of them.

People are dying every day due to these despicable policies. More British lives lost than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars put together.

I keep pointing people to this blog, but spread the word to everyone you know and even those you don’t know well if possible.

The families of those who have died because of benefit withdrawal while obviously ill should be taking their relatives case to the European court of human rights, I would love to see what their verdict was.

They really mean like 5 different “job areas” cos they know that even if you have 4 professions under your hat you will be struggling to come up with a fifth, it GUARANTEES that you will have to select a SHITTY JOB (cos that is what the JCP/WP providers “specialise” in as one of your “job areas”.

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f36.htm
So my understanding of this is – you are forced to seek a ‘revision’ before an appeal, and this process can take a year, and you don’t get paid if you seek a revision – which you are forced to seek before an appeal.
We’ve just had the right to appeal removed then?
This would also remove eligibility for free prescriptions [income based ESA] at a stroke. I’m wondering how many people will end up in A&E because of failing to take medications they need or through starvation

This is massive!
So you get failed at Atos, now you will have to wait for this “Revision” but how long will that take?
Meanwhile you will have to claim JSA for money to live on before while waiting for their decision, before you can appeal.
You can imagine loads of papers getting “lost in the post”, and you ending on JSA for months.
They just keep moving the goal posts to suit their agenda.

The shock waves from this will be felt the length and breadth of the whole country.
Shocking!

I thought some of you here might appreciate this insight into the ordeal many long-term sick and disabled people face whilst on the WRAG, and a little look at the attitudes of those in Whitehall making it happen.

Local authorities have conceded that up to 84% of people on low incomes will refuse to pay council tax after being caught in the net by benefit changes this April, and admit there is little they can do about it.

Local authorities have conceded that up to 84% of people on low incomes will refuse to pay council tax after being caught in the net by benefit changes this April, and admit there is little they can do about it.

I don’t think most of the people are refusing to pay, Its a case of not being ABLE to pay. Just a few extra pounds can tip most people over the edge.

“Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
Could you please tell me if BILL GUNNYEON, Chief medical advisor to
the DWP and also a Medical Director of Capita Healthcare, has
registered a “conflict of interest”.
How many times did Bill Gunnyeon meet with Gordon Waddell and
Mansel Aylward prior to the ATOS contract to undertake ESA
examinations on behalf of DWP?
Furthermore, will Bill Gunnyeon be receiving any form of
remuneration or reward, given that attractive contracts have been
allocated to both, Capita and ATOS.

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